Real Books

My author’s copies arrived on Wednesday! I know this has probably been said thousands of times, but it was so incredibly humbling to hold the real, printed book in my hands. The cover is fantastic and I don’t think the book could look any better.

The delivery timing was interesting. I’d seen the UPS truck pull up but thought they were delivering something next door. I finished a work call, loaded up my stuff, and opened the front door to find two boxes on the front step. Since I was on my way to a dentist appointment, all I had time for was to move the boxes inside, cut one open real quick, and take a fast look at the real book. Would’ve been nice to bask in the moment a little more, but oh well, the dentist’s chair was calling.

I’ll send some of these to family and sell most of the others, maybe at a book signing, maybe if someone wants to buy a copy. And keep one for myself, of course.

Etc.

As part of my marketing efforts, I added a subscription option to this website, right on the front page. I hate pop-ups so the fields are embedded on the site instead of annoying people with a form in the face I tested it out by signing up myself and receiving a confirmation email. This will be important so I can send out discount codes, updates about releases, and so on. Seems like I’ll need to pay extra per month to have the ability to send email campaigns, but I’ll wait until I get some subscribers before I whip out the wallet.

I spoke with the publisher on Monday afternoon and learned a few things. One, I ordered bookmarks but had to pay a design fee. If I’d know I could include those in my original order I would’ve done so. Lesson learned. Second, the quote for my second book is good for 60 days, which means I get their promotional discount even though it expires at the end of this month. Third, with the new quote all I have to pay for regarding the bookmarks is the bookmarks themselves, since the design work will be done along with the cover and such. And finally, it’s better to run ads before the release date to build up views and pre-orders on a big site like Amazon. Once the book is listed there I’ll start pushing it and trying to get people to go there.

More Editing

I got on a roll this weekend and finished editing Next Time. This was my cleanup run to get rid of all the was’s. Or wases. Was I successful? (see what I did there?) I think so. I tried to keep from torturing sentences just to get rid of a “was.” In some cases it’s unavoidable. Along the way I found a few typos. I’ll be going through it one more time and the plan is to get it into the publisher quickly so I can get it out by the end of the year.

I know I said my plan for the weekend included research about marketing ideas. That’s what I’m starting today while Next Time sits in the virtual drawer for a few days. Some of them are easy to do, like printing bookmarks so I can hand them out. Others are a reach, like podcast interviews. Let’s see what I can do with these ideas.

Marketing

It’s time to start really thinking about marketing First. The self-publisher creates an ad campaign based on my inputs and budget and pumps them out to targeted sites or social media. Yes, I know ads are not the same as marketing. I at least caught that in Marketing 101 all those years ago.

Beyond the ads, I need to determine what else I can and should do. I’ve got one book signing already lined up at a local pub, which is definitely my target market. I started looking into virtual book tours, email marketing lists, and all the other stuff that comes up when you Google how to market your self-published book.

I’m like a lot of novelists in that I’d much rather write than spend emotional energy on something I’m not good at and lies outside my comfort zone. On the other hand, I want as many people as possible to read First and my other books. I’ll do more research this weekend to start figuring out my options. I’ll get back with you on my progress.

And She Was

This is a post about the word “was” and I couldn’t resist getting a Talking Heads reference into the post title.

I finished editing Next Time yesterday, and now I’m going back through one more time. The main reason is to identify every time I use the word “was" in a sentence and replace it with action words. “Was” is generic and I find I tend to overuse it in writing. I’ve already replaced a lot, but not all, of the instances. While it might not make the book sizzle, it does make it crackle a little bit more.

My feeling is that “was” is a lazy way of writing. No action, generic, passive, whatever you want to call it. It’s unavoidable overall, but I’m finding I can do better 80-90% of the times I use it. I know, it’s a lot of work to go through the manuscript again, but I think it’ll be worth it. Plus, I found another typo I didn’t notice before. After this pass I’ll still need to do one more just to make sure it’s ready for the publisher. Especially with all the changes I made in the last chapter. That’s where I tend to create problems.

At least I avoided using “was” as a verb in this post. No promises for subsequent entries.

The Date

On Friday I confirmed the release date for First: October 10th. That’s about two months away and for good reason. It allows me time to do pre-release marketing and gin up interest before the actual publication. It also gives the publisher time to get the book across all the networks and sellers. In that way, they can gauge interest, seeing how many people visit the book’s page on their site. For example, I’m sure Amazon has an algorithm to calculate how many print copies to keep in stock based on how the view count for a page.

It’s pretty exciting. If I read the email correctly last Friday, I should have my own print copies in hand soon. It’s been a long road to get here, but we’re almost to the big day.

Rewrite

I received an email yesterday that the eBook proofs for First are ready for review. That’s pretty exciting. It’s going to take a little effort on my part, so I’m going to stop my review of Next Time, where I’m rewriting the last chapter. When I was out for a walk on Tuesday I pondered weak points in the book, or parts where I still felt uncomfortable with the scene. Since I’m not paying an editor for this one I went through the mental exercise of identifying those nagging thoughts in my brain that kept telling me something could be better. I had those thoughts with First and when I spoke with my editor she put clarity to those thoughts. I learned from that experience and hope it will help make the book better.

Bookmarks

One of the things I’ll need to be able to market First is bookmarks. They’re easy to hand out wherever you are, like a book fair or at a restaurant where you meet someone you know. The self-publishing site I used has a template for bookmarks, but it appears they don’t print or sell them. I’ll have to find a printer who’ll do it for me.

I just did a 30-second search and I can get them online or from someone local. I guess once I get printable files for the artwork I can move forward with formatting and ordering. That should be a nifty way to get out the word on the new book.

Concert

Went to a concert this weekend. It was a solo act, the lead singer from my favorite band, and it’s amazing to hear the lines he’s written over the years. The flow, the creativity, and the sheer genius. It’s a talent very few people possess. To me, at least, it’s harder to write a song than a novel. Yeah, I know a song is much shorter, but wow, every single word has to count.

Speaking of that, I started watching a new show last week. Well, new to me. It’s one of those shows “everybody” is talking about. Maybe it’s all the hype, but I wasn’t that impressed by the first episode. Or the second. Or the third. I felt like the writers were trying to be make it so every word of dialogue was deep and impactful. You know, like Breaking Bad, where by the end of the series you hung on every single word and the tension made you sweat. Except in this case the attempt feel short. Characters would say something that felt like it should be riveting and dramatic, but instead it made me cringe.

It wasn’t until the fifth episode that I felt as if the writers really nailed a scene, where I smiled and nodded because they got it. Look, I know I’m not some best-selling author with a rap sheet to lend credibility to my criticisms. I’m just a guy with enough background to know when something’s a little off. It’s not so bad that I quit watching before I got to that scene in the fifth episode. But it could certainly be better.

Cover

I posted the cover for First on this site and social media a couple of days ago and the response has been very positive. More people followed me on my Facebook Author’s Page, which will be useful in promoting the book when it releases. The eBook conversion is in process right now and once that’s done it’ll be released out in the wild. I’m still okay if someone wants to buy movie rights, btw.

I should probably change the top photon on that fb page, but I really like it. Sometimes you luck into good photos even when you’re not a great photographer. For context, I took that picture in Killarney, Ireland. It’s a one-way street where the traffic lights alternate traffic flow. We spent two nights in Killarney last year (hope that doesn’t sound pretentious since that’s the only trip like that we’ve ever taken) and Killarney is a beautiful city. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s right by the National Forest and the Ring of Kerry, some of the most scenic places on the island.

Anyway, I lucked into that picture since it had rained off and on all day, making the pavement reflective at night. I like the golds and blues of the lights. It’s not the greatest picture in the world but it reminds of a fun vacation. It has nothing to do with books so maybe I really do need to figure out something different.

Another

Another month is over. Seven months complete in 2023. Another chance to look back at what’s happened so far and see what else needs to be done.

No books published yet is probably the big one at the top of the list. However, that should change in short order as FIrst is in process. Once I receive corrected proofs it should be a quick road to the finish line. At least, I hope it will be. This goal should be reached in short order.

I spent a good chunk of time and queried independent publishers with no success. Which led me down the self-publishing path. I’m excited to see how it goes and what I can do to get my books in the hands of readers. Publishing is an interesting industry. At some point I should expound on that. Agents are gatekeepers to the publishers, but they operate completely on their own when it comes to what they allow through the gate. These days if you’re not an author who checks off certain boxes or your book doesn’t mesh with certain political beliefs, you’re not getting anywhere. Look, I know this isn’t a surprise to anyone. My thoughts just strayed down this path when I should be looking back at what else has happened this year.

I edited Assignment Day and Next Time, and re-read First several times through. I started writing a new book, still in progress.

What’s ahead in the final five months of the year?

Publish one more book after First, and market them both. I’m thinking this will take some effort. Duh. Finish writing the new book. What’s a stretch goal? How about getting a royalty check that’s four figures? That’d be nice. Let’s charge forward and see where the rest of 2023 takes us.

Meantime

What am I doing in the meantime while I wait on the next round of proofs? Writing.

I know there are probably things I should be doing to prepare for my book’s publication. I’ll put some thought into that this weekend. A lot of times people will say, “This is no excuse, but…” Well, in my case, this totally an excuse. And kind of a lame one, at that: work is taking up most of my energy these days and I just don’t have it in me to spend several additional hours on planning.

To make at least some marginally worthwhile use of my time, I’m still getting up at the same early hour every day and writing a new book. So far, so good. It’s already taken some interesting side roads I didn’t expect. I have a feeling when it’s complete I’ll need to do some serious editing to make sure it’s cohesive, but that’s down the road. For now, at least I’m doing something productive.

Rejected

Rejected seems like such a strong word, especially in the realm of writing. We writers get rejected by agents and publishers to the point of questioning the meaning of life. When it comes to the proofs for First, rejecting them seems like an overreaction.

But that was the choice: accept or reject. So on Saturday I rejected both the interior as well as the cover. Let’s start with the cover. The only thing I need changed on it is to add in the URL to this site. I totally whiffed on adding that in the metadata proofs and hopefully it will be a minimal ask. Otherwise, I love the cover and there’s nothing else to change.

I only found the one typo in the manuscript itself, the extra space between a period and quote that I mentioned before. The Wife questioned a sentence late in fhe book which confused the timeline, but it was a poor choice of words on my part so I modified the offending sentence. And finally, I added this URL into the Author’s Notes text just like did on the back cover. Honestly, how did I miss that?

That’s it. Once I receive the updated proofs I’m hoping it’s a short interval to approving and getting this book out. Rejection is progress, at least in this instance.

Proofed

The Wife has pretty much read through the proof and thought she found a mistake but I don’t think it is. It’s a line where a different word choice would have been clearer, so maybe I’ll change it if I can lump it in with the other one I know needs to be made. I think the guidelines will allow it but if not, it’s not the end of the world.

The other thing I totally forgot was to add this web site URL to the back cover. I also need to look into that and see if I can modify the text on the back cover. I also should have put that in the Author’s Notes at the end of the book. What a rookie move.

Once they make the changes they’ll send me another round of proofs, which I expect will be perfect. I’ll still go through them very closely although I don’t think I’ll re-read the whole thing again. Trust but verify. After that, it’ll be off to the races. Well, almost. One other thing I need to talk to the publisher about how it’s released. There’s an option to release it globally on all sites and ebook platforms, or it can go to Amazon exclusively for 90 days. I think the latter option is only for the ebook, but I need to verify that. That second one allows it to be on Kindle Unlimited, an option I think is important. I’ll talk to my publisher and see what’s best.

Proofing

I finished my read-through of the proofs for First, and I’m glad I did it. I found two errors.

The first was the end of a piece of dialogue where I’d left a space between the period and the closing quote mark. It probably wouldn’t have been noticeable except for the fact it was at the end of a printed line, and with the extra space the closing quotation became an orphan on the next line. It’s too noticeable and I’m having it fixed.

The other error was a total miss on the formatter’s part. I was a little surprised since otherwise they did a fantastic job with the rest of the book, but the epilogue was mashed in with the final chapter. The main part of the book is divided into three sections, each with its own title page. The Epilogue should have been given the same treatment, but instead the final sentence of the final chapter was followed on the next line by the word “Epilogue” and then the narrative. Anyway, it’s not a big deal and should be easy for them to fix.

Why am I sharing this? Because I’m glad I read completely through the proof like I’d purchased the book. If I’d done a quick scan I might have found the problems, or I might not. I only get one chance at validating the formatting and it was worth taking the time.

Proofs

The proofs for First arrived Friday morning. I know every author says the same thing, but I’m going to say it anyway: I love the cover. They did a great job using the notes I provided on the concept and turned it into art. I’m excited to share it in the near future.

Also, it’s pretty amazing to see the book formatted and looking professional. I like the interior and am reading through it all. I would say with a fine-toothed comb, but I already did that. I should be done in the next couple of days and will approve the proofs at that point.

On Friday I also received an acceptance email from a hybrid publisher in the UK. Talk about a whirlwind of a morning. Unfortunately, the timing sucks. I don’t know if they’ll be interested in looking at another of my books but I’m already too far down the self-publishing route with First. I do have to say, though, after all the rejection from agents and other publishers, it was really a great moment to open an email and find someone likes your book. Yeah, I felt pretty good last Friday.

Working

I’m a couple thousand words into the new book and I think it’s working. As I said before, it’s a little different from what I’ve written before, at least from the narrator perspective. I think the reason it’s okay so far is because the narrator is a smartass. Like me.

Will this carry a full-length novel? I don’t see why not. I’m not very far into the story, but at least it’s keeping me engaged and wanting to write more. I’ve said this before, but if what I’m writing doesn’t keep me interested then it’s sure not going to keep a reader interested.

I should get the proofs for First sometime in the next couple of weeks. Then I have to figure out how to do some promotion and marketing, not my strong suit. Maybe this weekend I’ll do some research on that. I saw a Facebook ad for a book fair, or author’s show, or whatever they called it, but I don’t think I’ll have book in hand by then. I know there are other options since I”ve seen authors at bookstores, the local flea market, and at the grocery store. Guess I should start making plans. Yes, I know. It’s a little late. All the advice columns say you should plan this stuff out earlier, but it did take until last month to figure out how the books would be published. Lame excuse, but I’m sticking with it.

First Chapter

Yesterday I wrote the first chapter of a new book. Might as well while I’m waiting on proofs for First.

I spent a few days thinking through the things I want to include in this book, and then creating a very broad outline for the first section. I find that approach gives me some guardrails and gets everything started. Plus, it means I don’t leave out something important.

I mulled over the topic of why. As in, why write this book? What’s the lightning bolt that sets it on fire and makes it a book worth reading? I have several thoughts along those lines, but I’m not sure I have the main one. I’m telling the story from a different point of view than I’ve done before, and since it’s a sequel to First there are familiar faces as well as new characters. I think I have even have a name for it, but I’m still thinking that part through.

My perspective is that if I get started with the major themes and story points, I’ll figure out the extra dash of seasoning I’m looking for. I don’t want to write something predictable. I might not be the world’s deepest thinker, but I do like to be somewhat original.

Prose Masters

In my last post I talked about how Louis L’Amour is my favorite author and storyteller. Today, I want to mention a couple of people who are my favorites when it comes to beautiful writing: Pat Conroy and John Irving.

What do I mean by beautiful writing? I mean writers who are masters of the craft. Authors who wring the most of every word they put on a page. Writers who construct sentences so beautiful they make you want to cry. Authors who combine words in ways they weren’t meant to be combined, but somehow still make it seem natural.

Not that this is their only trick in the bag. These men have written darn good novels, to put it lightly: Conroy with books like The Great Santini and Irving with A Prayer for Owen Meany., among many of their bestsellers. I don’t suppose it would profit much to write flowery prose that the world never saw.

Conroy wrote of the American South, for the most part, and made the settings and people come alive. I don’t think this is original and don’t remember who said it, but the main criticism about Conroy is that he never wrote in one word what he could say in ten instead. Yes, his prose can be verbose, but I recently reread his later novel South of Broad and paused numerous times to stop and appreciate a sentence or phrase. Very few writers have ever had that gift. I wish he’d written more books over his career, but what he did write are treasures. He was one of a kind and made the English language bow to him instead of the other way around.

Irving has been more prolific over the decades. He’s not as flowery as Conroy, but the way he constructs sentences and paragraphs are a master class in the skill of writing. Whereas someone like me is just happy to not have any typos in a passage, the reader gets the feeling Irving obsesses over every sentence until it’s perfect and meshes with those around it. I remember reading once that he doesn’t start writing a book unless he has the last sentence written first. I might have mixed that interview up with someone else (and I’m not going to research it because I don’t want to) but even if apocryphal it speaks to his process. To read Irving is to admire his mastery of writing.

Any time I pick up a book by Conroy or Irving I know I’m in for a treat beyond just the story. Are there others like these two? I’m sure there are. But since this is my blog those are my two picks as favorite writers.

Westerns

I might have said this before, but if I haven’t, my favorite writer is Louis L’Amour.

Somewhere around my freshman year of high school I started reading his books. Maybe even a year earlier. Our school library stocked most of his books and the ones they didn’t, I bought. At the time I think he’d already written well over 100 books and I read them all. Multiple times. In fact, I could read one in less than a day, mostly during free time in my classes. Lecture and doing the schoolwork didn’t take up all the time, so I had plenty of opportunities to read.

Why is Louis L’Amour my favorite? I’ve seen enough ‘best writer’ lists to know he’s not usually included. No, my love for him as an author is because he tells a darn good story. His images are vivid, the people talk like real people, and the stories are heavy on human struggles - greed, jealousy, anger, love, etc. They’re not complex stories, and they don’t have to be. They’re stories you can imagine someone telling around a campfire; okay, maybe a little long for that setting, but you get my point.

During my school days, Mr. L’Amour was still alive and churning out new books, including some longer hardcovers, which he hadn’t done in the previous decades. I bought each new one as it came out. Many of the novels took place in the desert Southwest where I grew up, and those that didn’t were stories of exotic lands I thought I’d never see, like Florida or Massachusetts.

Why do I bring this up? Because The Wife is reading through the Sackett series for the first time and with each one she picks up I find myself remembering the characters and story. After all, I did read them more than once. She’s reading them in supposedly chronological order, although there are a few anomalies here and there, which I’d expect since he wrote the stories over several decades. Regardless, they provided me with a lot of reading enjoyment and memories of great stories that have lasted a lifetime. Thank you, Mr. L’Amour.